Weres is the woven fish scoop traditionally used for gathering tup (sardines). These small fish swarm in dense shoals, blackening the shores of the islands at high tide and the fringing reefs at low tide. Weres were used in conjunction with werir – bamboo sticks bound at one end with banana fibre, and used in pairs to thrash the water and frighten tup towards the scoop. Though modern cast nets have replaced both weres and werir, they survive in stylised form as accessories in contemporary Torres Strait Island dance, in performances simulating traditional fishing techniques. Though this weres is classical and unadorned, those made for dance are often vividly painted and decorated with flowers.